The Boy From the Woods
by katy1030
Summary: What if Katniss' and Gale's dads never died? She wouldn't have met Gale, and the bread incident would've never happened. But, one day when her father is in the mines late she happens to run into someone.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm back! Hello once again! Ok, so here's my new story. What if Katniss' and Gale's dads never died, and Katniss never got reaped? Katniss and Gale would have never met, and the bread incident never would have happened. Well, in this Katniss and Gale eventually do meet. Read on to find out how. Oh, and Katniss and Gale are both 16.**

**I am not the amazing Suzanne Collins; I do not own The Hunger Games, or any of its characters **

**The Boy From the Woods.**

**Katniss' POV**

"Beautiful shot, Katniss." My father says carefully pulling out the arrow from the squirrel's eye. He cleans off the arrow head with the bottom of his tattered shirt, and then hands it to me.

"Thanks," I say looking around the woods. The woods are my favorite place. Much more peaceful then District twelve.

"I was thinking about taking Prim into the woods next time I come out or you can next time you do." He says as he sits on a rock and begins skinning the game. I laugh,

"Prim? In the woods? I don't think so; she wouldn't shoot anything and I can I don't need help picking herbs."

"There's nothing wrong with a little help, Katniss. Remember that," He says seriously.

"I know… I just… If she doesn't need to, she shouldn't." If he has something to say, he doesn't.

"Do you want help?" I ask sitting next to him.

"No, but can you go pick some herbs for your mother?" he asks, handing me the list my mother must have gave him. I nod and get up to start picking. After I pick a couple of things I begin to notice something. There are snares all over the place. Yes, my father and I set snares, but not in this part of the woods.

"Dad, did you set some snares over by the lake?" I ask when I return.

"What? What are you talking about?" he asks me while getting up.

"There are snares. By the lake, and I was wondering if you set them, because I know I didn't it." He just shrugs and says casually while throwing his game bag over his shoulder,

"I probably did, and just don't remember. That's what age does to you; it makes you forget some things." He taps my temple with his index finger which makes me smile. I pick up my game bag and follow him.

"Now, let's go to the Hob. We've had a good haul today." He says as we walk together, but as we walk I keep thinking about something.

Are there other people hunting in the woods?

* * *

"Hello, dear," my mother says greeting my father.

"Great haul today. Katniss is a fantastic shot. Hey there little duck," he says giving Prim a hug.

"How was work?" my mother asks preparing a stew to put the squirrel into.

"Fine, but I forgot to tell you, Katniss. I can't come with you tomorrow. My squad and I have been put on longer shifts." He says while taking his boots off.

"What? They'll work you to death!" I exclaim, cutting Prim off as she was telling me a story about school.

"Oh, calm down, Katniss. There's nothing we can do. What are you going to do? Start a rebellion?" he asks shaking his head.

"Will! Don't talk like that." My mother hisses at him.

"Sorry, but unfortunately it's true." he states.

"It's just not fair," I say as I slide down into one of our old wooden chairs.

"You're right, it's not fair, but its how things work in this society. President Snow is completely corrupt, and he doesn't care if people in the districts are starving as long as his precio-"

"Will!" my mother says with more force; cutting him off before he can go into one of his rants.

"I'm sorry." He says shaking his head.

"Let's just forget about it. Katniss, you'll go tomorrow, yes?" my mother asks.

I just nod and say,

"Of course."

* * *

Sometimes being in the woods alone is better than being in them with my father. I usually enjoy the company, but sometimes I just like to think without any interruptions.

After I shoot three rabbits and a turkey then I decide to take a break. I lean against a rock and press a few mint leaves on my tongue and close my eyes. I rarely get to relax what with school and hunting, I don't get much time to myself. I open my eyes for a split second and something catches my eye.

It's a snare, but I don't recognize it. My father never uses it, and neither do I, but it must be effective because it has a big fat rabbit hanging from its foot. I pick up my bow and an arrow (I'm a good shot. I only need one if someone approaches me.) And walk over to it. I reach out to touch the line when I hear a voice.

"Watch it," I jump back and raise my bow in the direction of where the voice came from. A figure emerges from behind a tree, and I immediately know who it is.

Gale Hawthorne.

"Stealing is punishable by death, or haven't you heard? Would you lower that, I'm not going to hurt you." He says, slowly walking toward me. I cautiously lower my bow. I've never actually talked to him, but all the girls at school talk about him all the time.

"What are you doing here?" I demand.

"Can I ask you the same thing?" he asks raising his eyebrows. I scowl.

"What's your name, anyway?" he asks.

"Katniss," I mutter. I don't know why I'm still talking to him. I should've just walked away when I realized who it was.

"Catnip? Well, Catnip you don't need to steal from me when you have a perfectly fine bow there." He says while unhooking the rabbit and resetting the snare.

"Katniss," I say louder this time, "and I wasn't stealing. I just haven't seen a snare like that before… Did you set it?"

"I didn't just set it, I _designed _it. Where'd you get the bow from?" he asks leaning against the tree.

"My father made it." I answer crossing my arms. He seems cocky.

"And what are you doing wandering the woods alone?"

"Oh, you know, feeding my family. How about you?" I ask impatiently.

"Same… Can I see that?" he asks motioning to my bow.

"Fine, but remember, stealing is punishable by death." I say handing it over. He smiles for the first time since we ran into each other. It transforms him from someone menacing, to someone I wish I knew. I almost want to return the smile, but I don't I just look at my feet instead.

"Would you give me one of these for a trade?" he asks after a moment of examining it. I contemplate this for a minute. We have 5 bows. My fathers, mine, the small one I used to use, and two extras. I don't need food, and there really isn't anything else I need enough to just go and trade one of our precious bows. I take the bow from him and begin to walk away,

"No," I say, slinging my game bag over my shoulder and starting to walk back to the fence. He follows me and insists,

"Not food. You're obviously doing fine with that. I'm talking about knowledge." This catches my attention.

"What do you mean?" I ask curiously.

"I mean, that I'll teach you some snares and in return you give me a bow." He says taking a step in front of me. More snares means more food. It honestly isn't such a bad idea, and even though I'm not very fond of Gale, it's still a good idea. I hesitate before saying,

"Deal."

**There it is chapter 1. I hoped you liked it so far! The next chapter should be up soon, probably next week. Remember I can take constructive criticism so feel free to review. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! **


	2. Chapter 2

**PLEASE READ IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE: OK, SO IN MY LAST AUTHORS NOTE I SAID THAT KATNISS AND GALE ARE BOTH 16. THAT WAS A MISTAKE. IN THIS KATNISS IS 16 AND GALE IS 18. SORRY I JUST NOTICED IT.**

* * *

**Pretty good reviews so far. I'm happy you guys like it. So, here's chapter 2. I know I've just been putting them out so fast. I've just been in the mood to type lately. Ok, so let's get on with it.**

**I am not the amazing Suzanne Collins; I do not own The Hunger Games, or any of its characters.**

**The Boy From the Woods.**

**Katniss' POV**

When I finished agreeing to Gale's arrangement I shot three squirrels on my way back to the fence. Today has been a fantastic haul. Three rabbits, three squirrels, and a wild turkey; when I plucked the turkey I made sure to hide it in my game bag before I go into the Hob. Wild turkey is popular, not as popular as chicken, but almost. If I just bring it into the Hob half the place will be bidding on it in a matter of seconds. Besides, I think I might save it for tonight.

When I walk into the Hob my first stop is Greasy Sae's stall.

"Katniss, what do you have for me today?" she asks, turning away from a pot of stew she was stirring.

"Two rabbits," I say showing her the kill. She picks each one up, measuring its weight and examining them closely before nodding.

"I'll give you six coins for both," she says placing the game on the counter. I shake my head,

"Six is a little low. I live with three other people, and they all need to be fed. Ten." She contemplates this for a second.

"Eight,"

"Nine." She sighs and nods,

"Fine, I'll give you ten, but I'm being _extremely_ generous." She bends down and grabs a small pouch full of coins. She takes ten out and places them in my hand.

"Where's your father today?" she asks putting the pouch back under the counter.

"In the mines. They added two hours to his shift," I say while putting the coins in my pocket. She lets out a bitter laugh and says,

"They don't know when to stop do they? At this rate everyone will be overworked and dead, and then no one will be able to mine their precious coal." I don't comment for two reasons: one because they're peacekeepers everywhere here, though I don't think they'd do anything. Two, because I usually keep my mouth shut when it comes to politics so I don't get in trouble.

"Say hello to your family for me," she says before I walk away.

I move on to the next stalls buying yarn, buttons, and cloth. When I leave I'm left with seven coins, two squirrels, and the turkey. I head to the bakery, the baker always pays well for squirrel, and I want to get something nice for tonight. I walk up to the back door and knock twice; hoping his witch of a wife doesn't answer. It's not though it's his son, Peeta, I think his name is.

"Hello, is your father here?" I ask.

"Um, no, but I can trade if you like." I take a moment to consider this, but then nod. I take out the two squirrels and show them to him. He smiles and says,

"Right through the eye. My father always admires that. What do you want to trade for?" he asks taking the game inside and motioning for me to come in. I've been inside the bakery only once, and that was when I was young. My father took me when I was ten; we bought a cupcake for Prim because it was her Birthday. We had to save for a week just to afford it. I wait by the door frame and say,

"I was thinking two, medium size loaves." He nods and disappears into a room before returning with two loaves. A little smaller then I would like, but I'm not picky.

"How is this?" he asks placing them on the table.

"Fine," I say picking them up and putting them into my game bag. When I look back at Peeta he's kind of just staring off into space.

"Peeta?" I ask. He jumps and says,

"Sorry, I kind of just zoned out."

"It's fine. Thank you," I say heading back out the door. He seems nervous about something. Then he looks like he's about to say something, but all that comes out is,

"You're welcome."

* * *

"You got a great haul today, Katniss," my father says sitting down to the big meal my mother made. Turkey, peas, and bread. No one will be hungry tonight, and _that_ makes me happy. We all start eating right away; the only noises are forks clinking against plates. After everyone's second plate I break the silence,

"I met someone, in the woods today." As soon as the words leave my mouth everyone stops dead.

"Peacekeepers?" my father asks, worry present in his tone.

"No," I reassure, "Gale Hawthorne, I think he lives in the Seam." My father sighs with relief and continues eating.

"Yes, I've met him before with his father in the Hob. Just like his father, ready to start a rebellion." He says as my mother shoots him a look.

"His father told me he's been taking him into the woods since he was 9." He adds.

"How come I've never seen either of them then?" I ask.

"They hunt in a different part of the woods then us." My father shrugs. I decide not to tell them about our little arrangement. I want my father to be surprised at my new skills, the thing I should worry about is giving away one of the bows he works so hard on.

"I know his brother," Prim says not looking at any of us.

"Whose brother, honey?" my mother asks Prim.

"Gale's. His brother is Rory Hawthorne, and we talk all the time in school. He's a grade under me." She says looking up, and I can't help the smile creeping onto my face. She blushes and ducks her head when she realizes everyone's watching her.

"I don't like him," my father says shaking his head. "Where does this kid live?"

"Will," my mother says laughing and I join in. Prim manages a smile, but her face is still red.

* * *

"That's…not even close," Gale says laughing at my failed attempt at the complicated snare. I groan and drop the twine I was holding.

"I'm never going to get this. What was that? Like, try number four?" I say leaning against the tree.

"Oh, come on, Catnip." He says sitting next to me, "You got the first one I showed you, and this one isn't very different."

"It's _very_ different, and don't call me that." I say.

"Call you what? Catnip? I don't know I like it," he says grinning. "Come on, let's go check if the snares line you set and see if it caught anything." I nod, and accept the hand he extends to help me get up.

"Not bad," he says unhooking four rabbits as I reset the snares. We split the catch in half.

"Alright, let's give snares a break." He says, "Teach me how to shoot." I grin, _finally something I'm good at._

"Alright," I say.

* * *

"Pretty good," I say examining his shot. It's not right in the eye, but it's close enough.

"So, I'm a great shot, huh?" he asks. There's the cockiness again.

"I said _pretty good_, not, _great_," I say taking the bow back. "I gotta go, it's getting pretty late."

"You going to the Hob?" he asks picking up his game bag and following me.

"No, but I might stop at the bakery since we shot a ridiculous amount of squirrels. I got a good deal from the bakers son yesterday. You're welcome to come," I say walking toward the fence.

"Alright," he says walking in stride with me.

When we arrive at the bakery I walk to the back door and knock twice as I usually do. Peeta appears at the door smiling, well, smiling until he notices Gale behind me. I wonder if they're on bad terms or something.

"More squirrels? Come on in," he says waving us inside. I pull out the squirrels and so does Gale. We have eight in total. Peeta examines each, and when he looks up I can't quite read his face.

"You shot all of these?" he asks me. I shake my head,

"No, Gale shot five and I shot three."

"I can tell, because only some are shot through the eye, and the others are…" he trails off.

"I know I'm not as good as her. Can we just trade now," Gale says impatiently. Peeta looks at him for a second and then asks,

"What do you want to trade?" Peeta asks.

"Ten coins for each of us," I say and look at Gale who nods in agreement. Peeta hesitates for a moment and then nods. He disappears into a room to go get the money.

"What was that all about?" I ask turning to Gale.

"I just don't like him that much," he says shrugging. I sigh and turn around as Peeta comes back into the room.

"Here you go," he says giving each of us our coins.

"Thank you," I say before walking out of the bakery.

"Bye, Katniss," Peeta says waving from the doorway.

"Hurry up, Catnip, I don't have all day," Gale says motioning for me to follow him.

I wave to Peeta and then go follow Gale.

**END SCENE! Ok, so next chapter will be out soon. Do you guys like it so far? Tell me in the reviews. Remember, REVIEW REVIW REVIEW! See you soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I… am… back! I have chapter 3 with me too. YAAAAAAYYYYY! Did you notice I changed something in the description? Sorry, the update took so long, I've been busy, and I was lacking ideas. I'm not abandoning the story though, because I hate when people do that. Ok, so I wasn't sure about this chapter, but here it is. Ok, let's get started.**

**I am not the amazing Suzanne Collins; I do not own The Hunger Games, or any of its characters.**

**The Boy From the Woods.**

**Katniss' POV**

I sigh as I lean against a tree trunk. Another half hour has been added to my father's shift. If they add anymore they'll practically be killing him, if they aren't already. I could hear my parents arguing about it early this morning. Its strange hearing them fight, because they usually never do. It doesn't help that the reaping is only a couple days away.

"Hey, Catnip." I turn to see Gale approaching; this will be our last "lesson" I guess you could say. I notice A boy trailing behind him. He must be at least Prim's age.

"This is my younger brother, Rory. Thought I could teach him a snare or two, maybe you can show him how to hold a bow." He says as Rory waves from behind him.

"Hi, you know my sister, Prim, right?" I ask. Something flickers across his face.

"Yea, we hang out a lot." He says stepping in front of Gale.

"Yea, well, enough about your girlfriend. Let's start already." Says Gale impatiently. Rory mumbles something under her breath about how she's not his girlfriend, and how he could beat up Gale and such.

* * *

"You're a good shot," I say taking my bow back from Rory.

"Almost as good as his brother?" Gale asks grinning.

"Don't get all cocky. You're not that good." I say putting my game in my bag.

"Yea, Gale, don't get all cocky." Rory says punching gale in the arm. Gale just scowls at him.

"I gotta get going, but I'll get you your bow before the reaping. Thanks for the lessons. Bye, Rory." I say, slinging my bag over my shoulder. And walking in the direction of the fence; I don't really give them a chance to answer I just walk away. I don't feel like talking, somewhere when we were practicing I remembered that this year is Prim's first reaping. The reaping is two days away, and no one in my family is looking forward to it.

When it was my first reaping I wasn't that bad. I was scared, but i didn't really show it. My name was in twice,and that killed my father. We really needed it in there four times, but my father wouldn't hear of it. He hated that it was my first reaping and I had to sign up for tesserae, but this time Prims name is only in there once. We all refused to let her sign up for more. She offered, even though I'm sure she was relieved when we said no. I can just tell she's terrified, and who could blame her.

Honestly...I'm terrified for her too.

* * *

I open the door to my small home after I traded at the hob and the bakery. I set my game and everything I got trading on the creaky table in the kitchen. My mother must be off at someones home. Sometimes if a patient is too sick to come to our home she'll go to theirs after someone comes and tells her to come. My father must be at work, and Prim must be with my mother.

My house has three rooms. The kitchen and the living room are in the same one, and then there is the bathroom and the bedroom we all share. The walls are thin. Thin enough for me to hear the muffled sobs coming from the bathroom. I creep over to the bathroom and gently rap on the door,

"Prim, is that you? What's wrong?" After a moment she says,

"Go away, please." I sigh and push the door open. And there she is sitting in the corner on her knees and sobbing into her hands.

"Oh, Prim." I say sitting next to her on the floor and wrapping my arm on her. After a moment she chokes out,

"I-it's going… It's going to be m-me, Katniss." I wrap my arms around her and hold her I answer I try to imagine a world with no Hunger Games, no reaping.

But I can't imagine a world so perfect.

"Shhh, it's not going to be you, Prim. Your names in there once. They're not going to pick you I'm sure of it." I say. We sit there on the floor for awhile until I get up and get a strip of cloth. I hand it to her so she can wipe her face. She stops crying, but only a little bit.

"Are you s-sure?" She hiccups.

"Yes, I'm sure they're not going to pick you." I say kneeling in front of her. She wraps her arms around me and hugs me tight. I bury my face in her hair and keep mumbling something, maybe more to myself then her.

"You're going to be alright."

* * *

Today's the reaping. My father won't be going to work today, no one will today. He offered to go hunting and I agreed so I could stay behind with Prim. I told him about the snares I learned about and Gale and I's agreement. He was proud that I know so much now, though a little hesitant about giving him a bow, but he snuck out and gave him the bow yesterday. We doubled up on peacekeepers recently and he didn't want me taking any chances.

My mother laid out a blue dress for me, and she gave Prim my first reaping outfit. It's a little big on her, but my mother pinned it so that only a little of the back sticks out. Kind of like a duck tail. My father finally returns and sets his game bag on the table.

"Strawberries, herbs, and fish we'll have a feast." He says smiling, but no one else does. His expression drops, and he says,

"Best be getting down to the square."

The square can be cheerful on a normal day, but today it's decorated with capitol banners and such. It has a sort of grim look to it today. My parents each gives us a long, lingering hug before letting us go into our designated areas. I walk with Prim on the way to the twelve year old section, on the way she begins to hyperventilate.

"Prim, you're going to be fine, all right? Don't cry, not here. Don't cry." I say hugging her. After she calms down I slowly walk to my section. As I wait for the reaping to start I see Gale in the eighteen year old section. I don't know how many times his name is in today, but it has to be a lot. He catches my eye and silently mouths, "Good luck."

I mouth back, "You too." I scan the crowd for Peeta, but I don't find him. There are a lot of people though, the only reason I seen Gale is because he was tall enough for me to find him.

"Welcome, welcome to the 74th reaping of the annual Hunger Games. And may the odds be ever in your favor." The overly cheery Effie Trinket announces over the loud microphone. "Ladies first," she says as she walks over the giant glass ball that hold the slips of paper that will determine someone's fate. Her hand scans the bowl until she finally plucks out a piece of paper and walks back to the microphone,

"Primrose Everdeen," she announces.

_Primrose Everdeen._

_My sister._

She walks slowly to the stage, her eyes watery.

"No," I say silently at first, "No, I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!" I exclaim making my way into the aisle.

"Oh, well, look at that, District 12's first volunteer. Come up here, sweetie." Effie says motioning for me to join her on the stage.

"No! Katniss, no!" Prim cries running to me and clinging to me.

"Prim, I'm sorry. Get off, now." I say sternly, my voice breaking a little. She doesn't budge. Someone pulls Prim off me; I turn around and see Gale with Prim thrashing in his arms.

"Up you go, Catnip," he says helping me up the stairs. He gives my hand a little squeeze before letting go and brining Prim to my father, who was already on the way to get Prim. I shakily climb the stairs and stand before the crowd.

"What's your name, dear?" Effie asks happily.

"Katniss Everdeen," I say.

"I'll bet my buttons that was your sister, wasn't it?" She asks.

"Y-yes," I say. _Don't cry, don't you dare cry._ I think to myself.

"Well, how about a round of applause for District 12's female tribute?" she asks, but no one claps, instead they press three of their right fingers to their mouth and then lift their arms to me. A sign that says we do not agree. I don't look at my family. I _can't_ look at my family.

"Well…yes let's get to the boy tribute, now," Effie says trying to hide her nervousness.

She reaches in the bowl and pulls out the name,

"Peeta Mellark," she says with a smile. _Oh, no, not him._ I think in my head.

The odds are obviously not in my favor.

**Okay, so I know the reaping wasn't exact, but I don't have the book. I tried my best, and I hope you liked it! The next chapter will be out soon. Remember, Review review review! I can take constructive criticism! See you soon!**


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